Nicole Marrero, Overton County
If you are like me, at some point in your year, you ask yourself, “Is all this promotion, marketing, long hours, and preparation worth it? Does anyone even notice?”
I was having one of those days that turned into a week. I felt behind on EVERYTHING. The phone was ringing off the hook and I had a mil- lion other things to do besides answer the phone. I answered the phone regardless, this 4- H alumni asked to remain anonymous, so I will call him Chad.
Chad said, “I am calling from [far away state], I moved away years ago, but my family was read-
ing the newspaper and saw you look for donations for camp. Can I help?” I was a little worried that I had e-mailed an article to the wrong newspaper, but I cheerfully responded, “Of course, but I have to ask, how on earth did you get a newspaper from here in your current state? Are you sure you are calling the right office?” Chad laughs and says, “My family loves reading the local papers from where we grew up. We subscribe to both of Overton’s and each month we mail it from family to family and read it. I loved going to camp! I think our group was actually the first to camp there! Did you know it was a POW camp first? I always loved that story…I was also a state vice president and did so many judging teams your head would spin!”
I enjoyed talking with you today. I am enclosing this check in the amount of $300 to help students attend the summer 4-H Camp.
As I told you I was in the first group that ever attended the current 4-H Camp site which was a former WW II prisoner camp. I have many fond memories of the many camps that I attended. there was no swimming pool then, and each morning we loaded school buses and went to Cumberland Mountain State Park to swim. We cam back to the camp for lunch. The afternoons were spent with various sports and crafts and the evenings with lots of folk dancing.
As I mentioned, I also attended 4-H Congress in Nashville and also 4-H roundup in Knoxville where i was elected State Vice-President in 1954. The one thing that I always enjoyed doing was the Poultry Judging Contest.
While our conversation went longer, you could not imagine how big my smile was. I forgot every worry I had and my ears recorded every word he said. This is what late night meetings are about. This is why we write article after article, and promote on every method we can. This is why we spend hours in clubs and camps: for a phone call to happen over 60 years since a 4-H members initial experiences that impacts lives around them for generations to come. If you have had a week that has made you ask some version of the question, “Is it Worth it?”, I hope you can re- member the story of “Chad” and know the answer is ABSOLUTELY.
